Push
by cloudconstellation
Summary: Natsume and Mikan are seemingly happy, but he pushes her away when he's convinced she's cheating. Can they get back together? NatsumexMikan, RukaxHotaru, AoixYoichi, NobaraxPersona, and other minor pairings. Rated M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters! Next chapter will be uploaded later this week.**

* * *

Natsume pushed Mikan onto the bed, smirking as she squealed. She shyly pulled at his collar and picked at the top button. He swept her up and placed her on her stomach instead, trapping the squirming girl on his lap. He blew at the base of her neck and gently smiled when he saw her shiver and stop moving.

"This is punishment, you know?" he murmured while tugging her skirt down. Her underwear soon followed. She turned to gape at him with a dark blush splashed against her cheeks and continued to wiggle. He smacked her rear. Out of shock, Mikan stilled, only to renew her efforts moments later.

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"Good, it's supposed to. This is for being such a tease and flirting with other guys around me."

"That's not flirting that's just being nice-"

Before she could finish her retort, he hit her again, pleased with the way her voice rose at the end. She whimpered again, this time panting hard.

"Mmm… do you like this Mikan?" he breathed, punctuating each word with another slap. She denied it vehemently, trying to stifle her gentle moans. He paused to run his hands against her clit, finding it slick with her arousal. He plunged one finger into her, watching her shudder as he worked his finger at a rapid pace. A second and third digit followed. Natsume could feel her tightening and at the last minute, pulled out and smacked her rear. She breathed heavily and crawled off his lap onto the bed. She rolled onto her back and pulled the thin bed sheets up to her chest, face still red from nearing a climax.

"Now who's a tease?" she muttered and pouted.

Keeping one hand firmly around both of hers, he pulled his belt off at the same time in one fluid motion. She flushed bright red and attempted to wiggle away, but was impeded by his legs on either side of her body.

The black belt looped around her wrists to secure her to the headboard. She writhed as he intentionally brushed against her breasts, her nipples pebbling at the touch.

"If you'd apologize, I might let you up," he told her, licking the outer shell of her ear. He bit her earlobe and she squealed. He continued to press hot kisses against the side of her neck as she breathed heavily.

One of his hands snaked down to press against the inner side of her breast where he could feel her pounding heartbeat.

"Why should I apologize, Natsume? I was just being nice-"

It was cut off by her moan. His fingers had found her nipple and twisted it mercilessly.

"You didn't think you did anything wrong?" he growled, "You were practically giving your number out to any guy who asked. You look like you're willing to kiss any guy who merely gives you a once over. Don't even get me started with all the time you've been spending with Ruka. Did you think I wouldn't notice you two going behind my back for who knows what? Are you that desperate?" Initially his speech was fueled by jealousy, but it gave way to anger. His touches became less tender and crueler. He manipulated his fingers across her breasts- pinching, pulling, twisting- and brought her to the brink of a climax before withdrawing once more.

Mikan sensed the shift in attitude as well. His words stung. Hands still tied, she turned her face into the side of her arm.

"Let me up," she whispered. It was almost broken. Natsume paused, wavering between comforting her and supporting his argument. Ultimately, his pride held victorious. He freed her hands and watched her pull down her shirt, gathering the sheets around her body.

"That's what this is about?" she breathed incredulously.

"How can you be so calm?" he demanded, "You're practically cheating on me."

"What do you mean? Just because I'm talking with Ruka doesn't mean you have to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous- I just can't stand having a girlfriend who's such a flirt all the time. I mean, you're leading him on."

~**Flashback**~

_Mikan giggled, sitting next to Ruka under the trees. The fall weather was nice, and kept the two of them cool. She leaned in closer to the magazine he had on his lap._

_"How about this one?" she asked. He glanced to where her finger was pointed._

_"Yeah, he would like that," he told her, "You really love him, don't you?"_

_Mikan flushed brightly at this before throwing a smile at him. She leaned against his shoulder and sighed softly._

_"I'm not sure he trusts me," she confided. Ruka looked at her, pity shining in his eyes. He was having issues with Hotaru as well. Mikan noticed Ruka's downtrodden expression and realizing the cause of his worries, smiled again._

_"I guess we'll just have to find really great presents for them, right Ruka?" she cheerily announced. He smiled too, and they continued flipping through the magazine. _

~**End Flashback**~

"LEADING HIM ON?" her voice rose considerably, making Natsume glad his flat was soundproofed, "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?"

He arched a brow and noted that she wasn't denying his words, per se. She was more outraged that she was caught, if anything. He kept his lips sealed and waited for her to collect herself.

"What about you then?" she asked, "You're always hanging out with Luna. For all I know, you could be cheating with her. But I didn't say anything because I trusted both of you." The last sentence came out on a high note, her voice cracking slightly. She breathed in deeply and blinked rapidly. Her eyes were starting to gloss over with tears, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

He faltered too. Maybe it was the tears. Mikan had stopped being a crybaby when she was eleven. Now at twenty, she rarely shed tears. Even now, Natsume could see that she was desperately trying to hold them back. But he remembered Mikan and Ruka sitting under the trees leaning in close and whispering to each other at the park. He remembered the vivid blush that she had. And he remembered why he was angry.

"I'm not going to take that from a slut," he callously spat out. Even after the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Only pride kept his mouth clamped shut.

Mikan visibly flinched. Something shattered in her eyes, and she turned to face the balcony. She wrapped her lower torso in the crisp white linen and moved off the bed; sheets illumined by moonlight trailing behind her like a wedding gown. He could see the shadowing silhouette of her legs trembling unsteadily. She swayed. He didn't make any move to help her. Mikan could see that and it burned. She wanted to fix the problem, but words failed to tumble from her lips. Shock rendered her in silence.

"Then that's it? We're done?" she almost pleaded for him to say something against it. She didn't dare turn to face him, but stood motionless by the balcony. The gentle autumn breeze pulled at the bed sheet and blew her tawny hair from her face. It curled in gentle spirals that traced the curve of her face, down her neck, and the slope of her shoulders.

"I guess so," he curtly bit out. Her shoulders gave way and she leaned heavily against the wall, breathing in and out for a moment of time. The silence hung suspended in the air and dragged the seconds on. She could barely breathe past the salty water that choked her up. The words set in and something triggered within her. She stumbled over her feet, dropping the sheet and pulling her skirt and underwear up in a fluid motion. Even still, Natsume could see the slight tremor in her hands. Something gnawed at him. Guilt? He pushed it down and watched her shaking hands gingerly reach out to touch the doorknob. Turning back, she stared at him, still sitting on the bed. His dark tousled hair and crimson eyes were highlighted by the moonlight streaming in from the balcony. He was ridiculously handsome. She offered a watery smile and left the bedroom. Footsteps faded into the distance and before he knew it, she left the house too.


	2. Chapter 2

Mikan lay sprawled across her couch, wearing nothing but underwear and an oversized t-shirt that hung mid-thigh. It was a man's shirt. It was his shirt. For the most part, she had tried to get rid of his stuff. It stayed in two boxes next to the door. She would have called Ruka to come and give it to him, but he was away. He had finally built up the nerve to ask Hotaru to marry him, but was travelling with her to her parents' house in order to ask them for permission before he popped the question. Ruka had confided in Mika before he left. He helped her find a birthday present for Natsume and she had helped him pick out a ring for Hotaru that day in the park. Thinking of it caused her eyes to water slightly. She wiped her tears and rolled to face the television. The mindless chatter hummed in the background as she dozed slightly. The door creaked. That was probably Yoichi. He had been checking in on her regularly ever since he had found out that Natsume had broken up with her.

"Yoichi?" she mumbled from the couch, one arm splayed across her eyes. Her hair was pulled into those familiar twin tails and fanned across the couch arm. She could hear the soft footfalls of shoes in the entryway of her house.

"Yoichi?" she repeated. The steps paused at the door of her living room.

"No, it's me." A rich baritone echoed. Natsume? It couldn't be him, she must've been hallucinating.

"Ahh, sure," she retorted sarcastically, refusing to move her arm from her eyes. The fluorescent lights shone brightly down on her. The windows were open and the November breeze filled the room. It had been two weeks since Natsume broke up with her. Two long, tiring weeks. In that span of time, she had fallen sick twice during her shift at the nursery. Luckily Sumire and Yoichi helped her, even when the medical bills started piling up. Today was Sunday. The nursery was closed, but she had picked up a part time job at the local café that started at 2. It was only 11 in the morning, so she indulged herself and stayed lazing about. But maybe all this lazing was unhealthy. She was starting to hallucinate and create a Natsume from her imagination. She missed him wholeheartedly.

"Hmm?" the voice rumbled.

"Definitely mad," she mumbled. Mikan turned to burrow deeper into the couch, clutching a pillow. She was afraid to look and realize that he wasn't there.

"I'm here to drop your stuff off."

A box dropped with a resounding clunk, shocking Mikan out of her nap. She twisted to face the entrance and saw him standing there, his dark red eyes burning her as they raked over her body. She flushed to the roots of her hair, realizing her dark red underwear was visible through Natsume's sheer white shirt.

"Oh,"

It was an awkward sound that filled the room. She sat up straight and took a good look at him. His hair shone brightly and his eyes were cold and distant. He looked good, he always did. Mikan, on the other hand, felt drab and plain standing next to him. She wordlessly pointed to the boxes of stuff she had collected for him by the door. His gaze clung to the shirt.

"Is that mine?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry."

She pulled it over her head and held it out to him, clad only in her underwear. It was a bold move, and they both knew it. An invitation, one that he choose to deny as he plucked the shirt from her hand and refused to look at her. Disheartened, Mikan wrapped herself in the plush throw that was draped on the couch.

"Let me get changed, I'll come in a bit to help you." She whirled into her bedroom and Natsume ached to follow her. He had admired her trim figure dressed in nothing but her underwear and his shirt. He felt some measure of disgust at himself, realizing that he still found her attractive, even after all she'd done. She came back quickly, wearing pants this time, and directed him to the two large boxes in the doorway. He picked up the smaller one, leaving her to struggle with the larger box out of spite. She huffed, blowing her hair out of her face, and bent down to grab it. The world spun slightly.

"The car's started" Natsume brusquely informed her from outside. It was a reminder nonetheless. She gritted her teeth and tried to clear her head.

She hoisted the box up and tottered down the steps from the apartment. There was a short flight of stairs leading to the ground. Mikan quickly descended, but set down the box at the bottom.

"Natsume, could you get this? I don't feel so good."

It took him by surprise- it would take a great deal to get Mikan to overcome her stubbornness. He gave her a curt nod and picked the box up, feeling bad that he had tried to burden her with the larger box. Natsume turned around and loaded the box into the trunk of his car. Looking back, he expected Mikan to remain standing on the bottom step, but was shocked to find her sitting with her head between her knees. Her skin was pale -even more so in the shade- and he remembered the dark circles under her eyes.

"Mikan?"

It was a tentative question, and Natsume sped to her side, placing one hand on her shoulder. He shook her gently and froze when she didn't respond, but slumped forward. He caught her before her head hit the ground and frantically pulled her willing body into his arms. Carrying her bridal style, he moved into his car, ready to drive to the hospital.

Halfway there, she opened her eyes slightly.

"Where ya taking me?" she slurred. Her hands were weakly straining against the seatbelt as she tried to push it off. Despite the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help smiling slightly; perhaps she still wasn't fully awake.

"Hospital."

"I dooon't wanna goo…" she pouted before snuggling into his arm. Natsume stiffened slightly, and nearly veered into a car on the left. The honking brought him out of his reverie.

"You're clearly not feeling well, so I'm checking you in."

"Natsumeee! I'm not gonna go!" she huffed slightly and dozed off in his seat. Knowing that Mikan was incredibly stubborn when she put her mind to it, he turned the car around and headed to his house.

* * *

The drive didn't last long. Natsume was content to travel the highways to his apartment with Mikan by his side. Moments like this allowed him to go back to when he was first in love, cautiously opening his heart to another. She was always so open with hers, exposing it to him wholly. He was more careful and she had to pry piece by piece until he let her in. But even now Natsume couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it in the beginning. And if she hadn't betrayed him, he would've considered marrying her. Marriage. It used to seem within reach, but now Natsume felt eons away from it. It was beyond his grasp. But he wasn't sure it was something he wanted to grab. Shaking the dangerous thoughts from his head, he pulled into the parking garage and prodded Mikan gently.

"Natsume," she breathed out. His name was beautiful, and incredibly sensual upon her lips. He almost wanted to bring his own lips down and gently brush them against hers.

Something inside him shattered slightly. He was still in love with her. The realization hit him quickly, mercilessly. Even after all she had done to him, his heart was open to her. And she was somehow managing to push her way back into his life. Steeling his own resolve, Natsume vowed to harden himself from anyone, especially _her_. And that meant starting now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the review and favorites! In regards to plot development of the story, I'm kinda writing each chapter as they come to me, and I vaguely know what type of resolution that I'm expecting. Anything past that I don't really know (including story length), but bear with me.**

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Mikan woke up in her own bed. She was nestled in the covers, wearing the clothes from yesterday. She vaguely remembered rejecting Natsume's offer to take her to the hospital. He must have brought her back home. Mikan flushed scarlet.; she had gotten sick _again_. And in front of Natsume no less. And then she remembered their conversation in his car. Shame burned in her. She had fallen back to him so easily, talking with him so casually, so openly. She buried her face under her pillow and groaned. And oh god, her dream. The mortification would never end. Mikan rolled over and thought about her dream.

_His room was dark. But she could tell it was his room nonetheless. Her hands were held above her head by one of his large hands. Even kept trapped like this, she felt safe. Safer than when she was alone. His hardness was pressed against her thigh. Both of them were unclothed. The sheets were strewn across his large bed. His breath was close to her breast, as he exhaled above her nipple. He lowered one mouth and gently swirled his tongue around her nipple. She moaned quietly and her body quivered. He gently pressed his teeth around the pert bud. She moaned loudly, this time unable to hold it in. She could feel his lips shaping into a smirk against her soft breast. She mewled his name desperately, and he acquiesced, pushing his hard member into her womanhood. He kept a steady rhythm, and she curled her hands into his hair, pressing his face against her chest. She called his name again and again, matching him thrust for thrust. Her body rose up one final time to meet his and he kissed her deeply. Mikan saw stars as she climaxed and dug her fingers into his broad back._

_"Natsume" she whispered contently into his chest. She was safe. _

The dream had made her hyperaware. She was breathing heavily and her pussy was already slick with her arousal. Almost unknowingly, Mikan's hand inched past her stomach and unbuttoned her pants. She preferred sleeping without them anyways, she reasoned, trying to suppress her desire. But her hand moved under the waistband of her dark red panties and she dragged her index finger across her slit. She mewled in response. Her other hand moved to cover her left breast, and she palmed her nipple, rolling the tight bud between her fingers. Her hand continued to rub back and forth across her slit, and Mikan slowly started to feel the pressure building up deep within her core. Her eyes glossed over slightly. Seeing the dark crimson undergarments reminded her of _him_. He always insisted she wore these because he liked them best. Desire skyrocketed and Mikan plunged two slender digits deep inside. She pumped them in and out, slowly at first, but building in speed rapidly. The pressure built rapidly, until it reached a crescendo and Mikan climaxed with her back arched. Falling back to the bed, she pulled her fingers out and tried to fix her clothes. But it wasn't possible to restore any sense of normalcy. She curled up into a fetal position. Mikan felt wrong. She felt dirty. There wasn't any way she could replace him. And there wasn't any way that he would come back to her. So for the first time since Natsume had left her, Mikan let herself fall apart and the floodgates came crashing down.

* * *

The call came later in the evening. Natsume ran a hand through his dark hair and tugged at his tie in frustration. The young CEO of Hyuuga Corporation sighed in frustration. The office was a mess lately. He hadn't been thinking properly and it reflected in his work. Even his secretary, Sumire, was affected by his temper and often scheduled appointments at the wrong time, or didn't notify him. He suspected that she merely pretended to be flustered sometimes, and actually was mad at him for breaking up with Mikan. But she didn't know anything. She didn't see them sneaking out while he was working for an entire week. But that wasn't even all. While packing up her things, he had found a goddamn ring in a velveteen box. Inside the gold band were the words "_With love, Ruka_" and that spoke enough for itself. He didn't want to think about what it meant. An engagement? Proof of their affair? It was no fucking friendship ring- that he knew. He had mailed the box back to Ruka, seeing that he was on vacation somewhere. And there was no way he was going to give it to Mikan. That would be pathetic; delivering another man's ring to his ex.

When the phone rang, Natsume was jerked out of his thoughts and flinched visibly. He glared at the phone, anticipating his secretary's voice on the other line reminding him of more work that needed to be taken care of. These days Sumire's voice was constantly ringing in his head and he was just about ready to pull out his hair. Composing himself, he reached for the phone.

"Natsume, get down here, there's someone who wants to see you."

Usually he would have berated her for her commanding call, or ignored her so she would fume, but the gravity that was unmistakably present in her tone caused him to straighten his tie and shrug his suit jacket on before heading out of his office.

He ambled down to the main lobby, checking his phone as he went. There were seven messages from Luna, but nothing from Mikan. He was somewhat disappointed, but he pushed that feeling and deleted all of Luna's messages. Striding into the lobby, he stiffened when he recognized who it was.  
"Aoi? He asked incredulously and the figure turned to face him. She had cut her hair and it hung around her face in a stylish bob. Crimson eyes flashed in merriment.  
"Natsume!" She squealed, despite being a grown woman. The black trench coat that hugged her frame fluttered behind her as she left her luggage to embrace her brother. He opened up his arms and kept them open for a moment in shock before clutching her lithe frame tightly. His nose buried into her hair and he paused to feel the comfort that was distinctly hers.

"How was England?" he asked tentatively. Aoi had been having vision problems and was transferred for surgery in the best hospital, which happened to be in England. Clearly it must have helped, considering that she was easily able to identify him. His hesitance must have shown on his face though, as she smiled in reassurance and hugged him tighter.

"It's fine!" she teased him. He sighed in relief; at least something was going right. But then he pulled away from her and shook her shoulders hard.

"Why didn't you tell me? You should have called before. What about mom? Dad? Do they know you're here?"

He fired a barrage of questions at her, without reprieve. She laughed and ignored him.

"How's Mikan? I want to see my soon to be sister in law!" she excitedly chimed. Natsume froze.

"We broke up."

The singular statement brought confusion and shock to Aoi. She was fairly sure that the two of them were smitten, and Mr and Mrs Hyuuga were overjoyed that Natsume had finally "settled down." Everyone had enjoyed Mikan's bubbly personality, as well as her ability to keep Natsume happily in check. _Happily_ in check. Aoi had never seen Natsume back down from an argument or follow an order so compliantly until he met Mikan. Her influence didn't necessarily render him weak, but it definitely knocked down his pride and stubbornness a couple notches.

"Come to my office. I'll tell you about it there."


	4. Chapter 4

**Just a heads up- Yoichi's a bit older than Aoi in this story, not his regular age (otherwise she would be six years older). Also, if you have time, give me some input regarding the point of view. I'm writing in third person, but I kind of change consciousness without warning. Is it too hard to follow? **

**On another note, I'm not going to be one of those authors who waits for a certain amount of review before updating. I'll typically update within a couple of days, or basically when I finish a chapter. Enjoy!**

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Aoi huffed in annoyance. She was cross because she had fought with Natsume and he had returned to treating her like a child again. For the love of god, she was an adult. Not to mention she was married and had a two year old child. Yoichi, her husband, was practically Mikan's younger brother. The two of them had been fairly close to each other when they were younger, Aoi included. In their school years, the two of them made a habit of trailing Mikan like baby ducks. The woman had some sort of alluring charisma about her, and that applied to when she was a teen as well. Even know, Aoi was fairly sure that Yoichi checked up on her now and then. She frowned slightly, thinking of her argument a few days ago with Natsume.

**~Flashback~**

_"You're saying WHAT?" Aoi yelled. Thank god his office was soundproof, she thought as soon as she yelled. He mumbled under his breath and chose to glare at her. Clearly he was expecting her to take his side. Boy was he wrong._

_"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HER? HOW COULD YOU QUESTION HER LIKE THAT?" she raged on relentlessly. Natsume almost winced, but managed to remain stoic._

_"Aoi, they've been getting cozy with each other for a GODDAMN FUCKING MONTH. And they didn't tell me ANYTHING. She couldn't even deny it when I confronted her." Natsume fiercely retorted. Aoi's frustration at her brother was unfathomable._

_"Natsume," she started quietly, trying to return to some measure of civility, "She's your only chance. This is going to be your one chance at love. Mikan WILL be that last. Anyone can tell. So unless you want to spend the rest of your days moping ALONE, you better straighten your ass and apologize."_

_"It's not something you would understand, Aoi."  
She whirled out his office and made sure to slam his door- HARD._

**~End Flashback~**

The train of thought made Aoi fume. This was Mikan they were talking about. Regardless of Natsume's doubt, she could never believe that Mikan would do such a thing. And with _Ruka_, nonetheless. Everyone, barring Natsume it seemed, could see that he was enraptured by Hotaru and she had wound him around her finger ever since elementary school. But even if he wasn't in love with Hotaru, how could Natsume believe that sweet, kind _Ruka _would betray his closest friend? That was like believing Yoichi would willingly don a carrot costume and dance to their son's, Kaoru, favorite show.

Her glare softened slightly, thinking of their son. They had named him after Aoi's mother, as the name was unisex. He was a bundling pouch of energy and was surprisingly dexterous for a two year old. They had found that out when he had managed to move a chair to open their bedroom door one evening while Aoi and Yoichi were making out. They had also learned to lock their doors after that incident. Checking her watch, Aoi realized it was already 3, which meant she had to pick Kaoru up from the nursery. She opened up her phone, getting ready to dial Yoichi and tell him to come with her if he wasn't at work. Pausing with her fingers above the keypad, Aoi grinned and set out to fix Natsume's problem herself.

* * *

The daycare was fairly small, Mikan supposed, but she found it comfortable. It made her feel safe. It made her feel wanted. And more importantly, it gave her something to do. She had decided to pick herself up and not waste her time throwing a pity party. Besides, the situation with Natsume was slightly mendable. Although Mikan highly doubted they could go back to the way they used to be, she was fairly certain that they could be friends at the very least. She owed it to him. Besides, it wouldn't sit well with her to just leave things the way they were. Goddamnit, if only she had told him the truth. Some part of her had kept quiet about the whole Ruka business, as she had dubbed it; a mixture of shock at the accusation and anger that he could doubt her, as well as her desire to keep what they were really doing a secret, had muted Mikan. So although that carefully cultivated degree of trust was destroyed, Mikan was determined to fix some things with Natsume, even if only to ease the tension with their friends.

The gentle sighs of a young boy pulled her out of her musings. It was naptime at the daycare, and after a long day of playing, the kids were all fast asleep. The same young boy turned over to face her in his sleep, affording Mikan a view of his brown hair and closed eyes. Nobara's voice gently called out the end of daycare and roused the children. Mikan was incredibly glad that Nobara worked here with her, and provided endless amounts of support after the break up. It had been a week and a half now, but Mikan resolutely refused to let it bring her down. She just needed an opportunity to talk to Natsume again and then she would be able to really relax.

The young boy awoke and slowly opened eyes. The dark pupils were encased in liquid rubies and Mikan had to blink several times not to confuse the young boy's eyes with _his _eyes. Kaoru gave her a sleepy smile and held his arms out to her. She leaned down and gently picked the two year old up, balancing him on her hip. The afternoon sun cut through the windows and highlighted the colorful rug. Dust mites danced in the beam, trailing a hypnotizing path through the air. Mikan stood transfixed and admired the tiny particles that came to form the detailed flurry. Kaoru placed one chubby hand on her cheek to draw her attention and Mikan shot him a sheepish smile before pecking his forehead. He blushed and buried his face into her neck. Mikan giggled and used her free hand to ruffle his downy hair.

Nobara glanced over at her friend when she heard the quiet giggles. The children were reluctantly waking up and blearily rubbed their eyes. Mikan stood by a window, carrying Kaoru, and smiling happily for the first time in days. Immediately all that built up tension left Nobara and she felt a mixture of contentment and relief. Coupled with the worry for Mikan and her strained relationship with Persona, Nobara was left feeling stressed for the past week. Mikan was important to her and when she was dampened, it reflected in the daycare. Even when Mikan attempted to put up a smiling façade. And worse was her relationship with Persona. She was so sure that he loved her, yet their relationship had come to a standstill. Maybe it was because she refused to have sex with him? It had happened a week ago, soon after Mikan had come to her house, sullen and downcast.

_"Nobara?" his gentle voice rang through her house. He stepped through the front door and pulled off his shoes to pad down her hallway. He found her sleeping on her bed, softly nestled on top of the covers. Unknowingly, a full smile graced his lips and he scooped her up in his arms, waking her in the process. She kept her eyes shut, but murmured his name. Persona pressed his lips upon each eyelid, happy when they fluttered open to reveal her icy blue eyes tenderly examining his face. She leaned up to kiss his and he responded immediately, pushing the boundaries of affection into passion by slipping his tongue in. She froze in shock, but finding that she didn't mind, reacted by tentatively doing the same. Without breaking the kiss, Persona shifted her body so she was straddling his hips and had her arms around his neck. He pulled his hands to support her rear and she blushed furiously. The position didn't hold long. As soon as they came up for air, he leaned her back down on the bed and nuzzled the side of her neck, all while keeping his hands gently running up and down her sides. The tickling sensation grew and Nobara flushed darkly, hands reaching up to grasp his silky black hair. Her shirt inched up and Persona moved to brush kisses along her stomach, leading up to the valley between her breasts. His eyes roamed over her silky white flesh before meeting her eyes and Nobara could tell that he was silently asking if she was comfortable. Her head bobbed in affirmation and he smiled before undoing the front clasp on her bra. The cups fell to either side of her body, simultaneously causing Nobara to move her arms in a feeble attempt to cover her chest._

_"Don't do that. I want to see all of you. Every single goddamn inch." _

_Each word in his last statement was punctuated by a kiss to her breast, causing Nobara to squirm. She smiled inwardly, noting how although her boyfriend was gentler, he still hadn't dropped his habit of swearing when flustered. That reassured her slightly- just knowing that she wasn't the only nervous one._

_He moved south, diverting his attention to her shorts. He pulled them down quickly and moved to rest his fingers on the edge of her panties. They were white, just like her bra, and void of any patterns or textures. At this, Nobara stirred and jerked her body out of his touch. He looked at her with hurt and confusion reflected in his gaze._

_"I-I-I don't want to have sex." _

Yet_, she silently added to herself. Her statement was blunt, just like Nobara. Persona broke her gaze and carelessly buttoned his shirt. When had that been unbuttoned? Had she done it? Of course she had. Nobara frowned, realizing she had been egging him on by sending those types of signals. Guilt clawed at her, but she didn't want to go that far with Persona at the moment. In her head, sex was a sacred ritual reserved for married couples. She didn't want to commit herself to that level of attachment and responsibility that sex required unless the other person was just as invested. So she wanted marriage first. And although she was certain that she could give that to Persona, she wanted to be wholly sure that he could match it. _

_Was she being too greedy?_

_ Nobara bit her lip and watched as Persona left her room. _

_Unreasonable? _

_He opened the front door to her house. _

_Clingy? _

_It shut loudly with a resounding slam. _

_Probably._


	5. Chapter 5

**Reviews and favorites and follows make me blush uwu**

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Natsume didn't know what he was doing sitting in the passenger seat of his sister's car. He didn't know what he was doing with his sister in the first place. After their impressive shouting match, she had called him, apologizing for her behavior when it was clearly his business. There might have been an underlying sarcastic current in her words, but Natsume couldn't tell easily. Nonetheless, he would feel horrible if he didn't forgive her- especially if she was sincere. But this was Aoi, so he took it with a grain of salt.

Even still, that didn't adequately explain what he was doing sitting in her car when he had work to do. After forgiving her, he had somehow been coerced in coming with her to do who knows what. He glumly glanced to the left, watching his sister hum to the children's CD that was inserted in the music player of her car. Maybe this was some sort of perverse desire for revenge that she harbored from their spat. Regardless, as much as Natsume adored his nephew, he wanted to crack the CD in half and chuck it out the window after hearing his sister hum to the same song over and over again for the past half hour. His right eye twitched slightly and he moved to change the song. Without taking her eyes off the road- or missing a note of the song –she swatted his hand and hummed even louder. It was the unspoken "my car, my rules" that drove Natsume to the brink of madness. He sighed heavily. Unbeknownst to him, Aoi smirked, pleased to have pissed him off.

"Take a nap. You look like you could use one."

"Fuck. Did you just sing that?" he asked, disgusted. She nodded happily and kept to the tune. Unable to respond, he twisted his body away from her (and the CD player) and fell into a heavy sleep.

Seeing this, Aoi smiled gently. With recent events, Natsume had been barely holding up. Both Mikan and work were driving him up the wall. And that was discounting the corporation's anniversary ball that was coming up, which would surely worry him even more.

The anniversary ball. It was a tradition started by Narumi, the eccentric CEO who had run the company in the few years between when Natsume's father had retired and Natsume graduated college. Although he wasn't related to the Hyuuga family, he was clearly the most capable for the job, and well-liked by almost everyone. His work was stellar and the public image of the company nearly doubled, which was saying a lot as the company's previous record was impeccable. This all stemmed from his flamboyance, which was grounded by Misaki, his right hand man. Misaki's reliability allowed Narumi's ridiculous ideas to come into motion and create the unprecedented amounts of success that it did. This included the anniversary ball. It was an enormous event that included most of elite society. Hyuuga Corporation was by no means a small name; it dabbled in household goods, electronics, entertainment, sports, food, etc. There wasn't anyone who didn't know the name. An invitation to the anniversary ball was an honor and coveted by everyone. It was probably the largest gathering of elite that had been established. But more importantly were the traditions that accompanied it. Among others, there was the customary date required, which excited some and caused others to despair. This clearly was one of Narumi's more stubborn ideas that couldn't be tamped down by Misaki. There was also the famous last dance, which was rumored to create love amongst dance partners. This rumor was undoubtedly spread by Narumi. And maybe more exciting was the fact that the ball happened to land on Natsume's birthday every year. Although Mikan and Natsume didn't attend the ball, but rather stayed at her house to celebrate privately, every year before, Natsume was hounded by hoards of girls who vied for his last dance and a chance at the Hyuuga fortune. This year probably wouldn't be different, especially because Natsume's two year relationship with the brunette had ended and he couldn't ditch the ball again without a proper excuse.

Natsume awoke as the car pulled to a stop in front of sickening familiar sight. Although Mikan always teased him and told him he couldn't come to her work because he distracted her, he had often picked her up after she was done.

Peering through the open window, Natsume was able to see her smiling with Kaoru on her hip, the boy burying his face in her neck. Natsume felt jealousy flicker within. He was jealous of his two year old niece. He swallowed hard and attempted to look nonchalant as Aoi exited the car. She entered the building, drawing Mikan's attention to his sister. Natsume scowled as he examined her.

She looked good, brown hair pulled into a round bun atop her head. Mikan rarely let her hair down unless Natsume pulled it down himself. He pushed such frivolous thoughts from his head. She looked more tired than usual. Perhaps work was taking a toll on her as well. She turned her back to the window and bent down, affording Natsume a small glimpse of her smooth, toned back that was hidden beneath her tight shirt. Kaoru must have refused to get off, because she straightened up with a petulant boy hanging off her shoulders. Aoi looked noticeably peeved and stared at Kaoru for a long period of time before throwing a hopeful glance at Natsume. They both knew that Kaoru adored Natsume, and they both knew that he wouldn't leave Mikan easily. He awkwardly exited the car and entered the daycare, cautiously examining the shock written on Mikan and Nobara's faces.

"Come on Kaoru," he told the boy. After a moment of contemplation, Kaoru let go of Mikan and hid behind Aoi's leg. The kid was still shy.

Natsume's phone rang and he excused to the restroom in order to take the call. Mikan nervously shrugged and faced Aoi instead.

"Are you free this Saturday?' Aoi started. Mikan nodded before cocking her head to the side, wanting to know more.

"The company's having a ball. It's part anniversary and part Natsume's birthday. You should come."

"Didn't he tell you..? We're not-"

"I know, I know," Aoi cut in, "but I think he's stupid and wasting an opportunity. You can explain the entire thing to me later, but this would be a great chance to explain to Natsume."

Mikan nodded slowly in understanding. This was her chance to mend some things between the two and patch up their friendship at the very least. Recognizing the compliance in her nod, Aoi grinned and whipped out a white envelope embossed with gold. It read her name in elegant gold script.

"It's the company's invitation," she explained. Mikan accepted the envelope gratefully, making a mental reminder that she owed Aoi big time.

Something clattered in the background, before the door to the bathroom opened and Natsume walked out, the expression on his face unreadable.

Seeing him, Aoi smirked before telling Mikan loudly, "One more thing, you'll need a date." Mikan froze, eyes flickering to Natsume.

"Natsume, why don't you take her? You don't have a date and you're always complaining about all the girls who bother you. This way both problems will be solved."

_I don't know how many more problems that just created_, Mikan thought as Aoi spoke. Nonetheless, she kept her mouth shut and allowed some hope to rise when Natsume tilted his head to look at her. Even still, nothing could prepare her for the shock from his next few words.

She steeled herself, however, watching his coolly detached gaze as he looked her up and down. He snickered in distaste.

"Fuck no."

* * *

The sleek black phone lay forgotten on the tiled bathroom floor of the daycare. Its screen was cracked, as if someone had thrown it in anger. It buzzed, notifying that it had received a text. The sender ID read Sumire.

_Natsume,_

_I just checked with the bank again. It's been confirmed that a cumulative total of over $500,000 has been withdrawn from your account under the name of Mikan Sakura using her personal card. Further details are unknown, but people are working on it. Don't do anything rash._


	6. Chapter 6

**My closet OTP is showing heavily in this chapter ^3^**

* * *

She felt like someone had thrown ice- no, ice water at her. It wasn't the quickly fading sting of ice, but rather the lingering, heavy, all-consuming wash of frigid ice water. It also happened to serve as a reality check for Mikan. This was Natsume fucking Hyuuga she was talking about. The multibillionaire of a huge conglomerate and heir to the Hyuuga fortune as well. The man considered to be the most desirable bachelor and often declared the sexiest man alive. And hell, maybe most astounding of all, her ex. How could she even dare to think that he would take her to the company ball on his birthday where everyone who was anyone would be watching? Even if she was still his girlfriend, he would probably hesitate- and rightly so. This was incredibly important, more so than Mikan's mind could possibly fathom. After all, she hadn't lived the life of an elite. She was just Mikan, the orphaned girl with the sick grandfather, trying to get by.

Aoi shot her an apologetic glance before dashing out, looking thoroughly furious with her brother.

"One sec, I'll be back. Sorry about that idiot. Take care of Kaoru for me," she called, torn between staying with her friend and sorting out her brother. At the moment, Aoi figured that if she could sort out Natsume, everything else would fall into place, so she followed where he stormed out of the nursery.

Shaky hands moved up to tear the invitation. Mikan paused. That would disrespect Aoi, who had personally invited her. She tucked it into her apron pocket instead, hands still quivering. Kaoru looked up at her, and seeing her forlorn look, dashed over to tightly hug her leg. She flashed him a weary smile before falling to her knees and clutching him tightly.

* * *

Ruka fidgeted on the edge of the velvet loveseat. He had put on a dress shirt and slacks, but was regretting it, considering how hard he was sweating. Next to him sat Hotaru, his long-time girlfriend of four years. It was miraculous he had managed to last this long. Although he was fairly sure she loved him, he was also fairly sure that he annoyed her. Because of this, he had been surprised when she had invited him to her parents' house for a week. One week living with Hotaru (and her parents) seemed like an incredibly good deal to Ruka, but there was usually some sort of catch. Ruka didn't mind though, as this was the perfect opportunity to talk to Hotaru's father and ask for _that_. The little square box lay deep in the pocket of his pants, but it also weighed deeply on his heart. Ruka wasn't one for dramatics, but this was different. Or so he told himself. This was a matter of his future. Hotaru's future. And possibly, _their _future.

Across Ruka and Hotaru were Hotaru's parents. They were a happy couple and it was clear that even now, they were deeply in love with each other. Ruka felt jealously swell up from within, but desperately tried to clamp it down. These were Hotaru's parents for fuck's sake. Hotaru was making small talk with her mother, her father listening contently. He stood up suddenly, immediately regretting his action when it drew everyone's attention. He awkwardly wiped his sweaty hands onto his slacks.

"Mr. Imai, may I speak with you?"

As soon as he spoke, he flushed bright red. Could he have been more obvious? _No_, he thought snidely. Now everyone probably knew what his true intentions were. Ruka let out a sigh of relief when Hotaru's father rose and beckoned him to his study.

Ruka shut the door gently behind him and turned to face Mr. Imai. Before he could open his mouth, the aged man swept him up in a tight hug that almost pushed the boundaries of a platonic relationship. Ruka flinched.

"Yes! I give you permission to make that daughter of mine happy," he intoned in a rich baritone.

Ruka was flabbergasted and sputtered in confusion. He hadn't even said anything. Mr. Imai saw this, and smiled, baring his teeth.

"I've never seen Hotaru so happy, or even showing so much emotion around anyone but you. I would gladly relinquish my daughter to you."

Ruka stood there, slightly uncomfortable before gently patting the man on the back. Were her parents that desperate for Hotaru to get married? He grinned. At least something was working in his favor.

* * *

Nobara watched Mikan, unsure if she should comfort the girl or not. Mikan was still clutching Kaoru to her, as if letting him go would be akin to letting _him _go. So she continued to clean up and escorted the children out to their parents. Coming back inside the nursery, she saw that Mikan and Kaoru had left and there was a sticky note posted on the door. She pulled it off and her eyes darted over the familiar handwriting. Her letters were slightly wobbling. Nobara grimly realized that Mikan's hand must have been trembling, and she still wasn't over Natsume if he could hurt her that badly.

_Nobara,_

_I'm going out to drop Kaoru off at Aoi's place. Sorry I didn't stay to clean up. I just need to go think for a bit. Don't worry, I'll be here tomorrow. _

_Mikan_

She folded up the note and threw it into her purse before pulling off her apron and looking around the room. The daycare needed to be tidied up a bit. She busied herself with organizing toys, books, and papers. An hour passed with Nobara gently singing to herself as she cleaned.

The door chimed, announcing that someone entered the nursery. Nobara jumped a little before grabbing the hat that she had found earlier.

"Ahh, Ayame, did you come to get your hat?"

She smiled warmly and turned to face the door, expecting the cheery toddler and her mother.

"Persona?" she choked out. Ever since that unfortunate incident, he had been avoiding her.

His lips moved up in a weak attempt at a wan smile.

"Hey, Nobara."

It was a soft and hesitant greeting, almost as if he was worried that he would scare her away. She realized with a start that she had missed the softly raspy tones of his voice. It was deep and dark and rich. Nobara closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. She steeled herself for disappointment, but opened her eyes and looked at his face, needing to stare at him one more time.

"Wait," she murmured, "before you say what you need to say, can I talk?"

She waited for him to nod before moving to the low plastic table and seating herself in the tiny kiddie chair. She gave him a lopsided smile before offering a chair to him as well. He chose to lean against the opposing bookcase instead.

"I just wanted to say sorry for what happened that night. I didn't mean to push you away, and I couldn't bear to lose you. But I guess it's just something I'm not too comfortable with."

Her voice broke at this and tears pooled in her eyes. Why was this so damn hard to talk about?

"I guess I've always just thought of it being the final straw. Not like in a bad way. But how it's so… so final. It's a really big commitment to me and I trust you. I really do. It's just that I want to wait until after, I don't know…"

She trailed off. There was a growing fear inside of Nobara, and it refused to let her say "marriage." Telling him that would be akin to expecting him to propose. And Nobara wanted him to propose when he wanted to. Not because of this.

Eyes soft, he cupped the side of her face and kissed her. The action of holding her face was soft, but his kiss was fiery and unrelenting and burned Nobara up. She fell into it. Wholly. Undeniably. Irreversibly. And at the last moment, before she plunged into that fiery abyss, he broke apart and rested his forehead against hers.

"I know," he whispered, "I'm okay with that."

Something snapped inside Nobara. Despite what she had just said, there was this burning desire to make him hers, now. It was something in his words- how the reassured her of his devotion. To Nobara, it was as permanent as a wedding vow, and that was all she needed.

She pushed him back onto the carpet and straddled his hips, fists tangled in his shirt and lips branding his neck. Persona moved to push her off, wondering if this was really what she wanted, but seeing the glint in her eyes, he pulled her closer to run his hands down her back. In a heartbeat, both their shirts and pants were discarded on the floor. Nobara found herself on her back with Persona crouched over her. She was immensely glad that the sky was darker and didn't make her body as conspicuous.

"What do you want me to do?" Persona growled in her ear, rubbing one hand over her clothed crotch. Nobara breathlessly moaned.

"Do you want me to take you, right here? Right now? In the library of your fucking daycare?" he purred. She blushed, nodding, and Persona reveled in the dark pink that graced her face, neck, and the top of her breasts. His fingers tickled the edge of her left bra cup as he dragged it down, watching her dark pink nipple pop out. One hand fondled her tit while he suckled the other. He could feel her clenching and unclenching, even without being in her.

"What do you want?" he repeated, stopping his ministrations. Nobara looked at him, droplets of sweat gathering on her body already and a flush spreading rapidly. There was an aching pressure down below in her core and Persona wasn't cutting her any slack.

"I-I-I want you to t-take me Persona," she stuttered in embarrassment. He obliged, pulling her underwear down. Although his actions had been rough and passionate, he slowed down and became gentler. Her nervousness must have shown on her face.

He inserted a single digit and slowly drew it in and out inside her body. Her back already started to arch in pleasure. Persona grinned and added another finger, scissoring inside of her. She soon became slick with arousal. Mewling into his shoulder, she hooked her legs around his back and he knew she was ready. Removing his fingers, she whimpered slightly. He deftly tugged his boxers off and slowly pushed the tip of his hardened member into her. With one quick thrust, he broke through her maiden hood, watching her with an adoring gaze. Nobara winced, but soon realized that the pain was quick to leave. Persona gave an experimental thrust once the he realized that her soreness faded and was rewarded when she groaned in pleasure. He built a slow and steady pace, pausing here and there to kiss her. All Nobara could do was grasp his shoulders and drag his body closer to hers. The pleasure built up and culminated into an explosion of fireworks that dazzled her eyelids. Persona shuddered and came deep inside her, blissfully letting the tightly wounded coil spring out.

Laying there with their arms wound around each other, the two fell into a content sleep, free from worry.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry that this is kind of late. I had the thing written two days ago, but my computer crashed and I lost a huge chunk of the dialogue. So I made it a bit longer to make up for the lateness.**

* * *

Natsume thundered out of the daycare, suit flying behind him and tie flailing. The door shut loudly and he sped out of the parking lot and down to a main street, arm held out to flag a cab. Eventually, one driver pulled over and Natsume angrily thrust a wad of bills before barking out the address to a hotel. Recently, he hadn't been able to stomach living in his apartment, given all the memories they had created there together. Besides, living at a hotel meant that he could move around more freely without the restrictions of family and friends.

Reaching the hotel, he slammed the door shut and looked up. There he saw the Koizumi Hotel, a large chain of hotels that were incredibly powerful and influential. The heiress, Luna Koizumi, was considered a beauty by some, but Natsume found her more annoying than anything. She was so… clingy. Always grabbing his arm, pushing her breasts up against him, trailing her fingers down his back, brushing her legs against his. She tried exceedingly hard to be seductive, but it ended up creating a superficial glamour around her. Some people found it captivating anyways, but not Natsume. He preferred the raw, innocent sensuality that Mikan possessed.

Think about her put him in a sour mood, especially after what he had discovered. Not only was she cheating on him, but she kept him around as a goddamn _piggy bank _to keep herself funded. The numbers didn't mean anything. To him, $500,000 was not even pocket money. But the act in itself cut deeper than any value of money could.

There was a bar in the bottom floor of the hotel. It was also partially a nightclub, filled with sweaty bodies pressed together in one undulating mob while colorful lights tore through the alcohol and lust induced haze. The Koizumi Hotel was known for the upscale nightclub, as well as the lax restrictions placed on alcohol and other intoxicators. It drew social elites like moths to a candle flame; the dangerous promise of pleasure being too much for most to resist without getting burned.

Natsume pushed his way past the crowd, giving the dance floor a wide berth, and ordered a glass of whiskey. The golden brown amber sloshed around carelessly as Natsume titled the glass up to watch the liquid bounce beams of light. Flares of red, blue, and green from the strobe lights danced across his face as he examined it with a stony, pensive stare.

It was only a couple minutes before someone slunk in under his arm, pressing their face close to him. Luna. Her blue eyes were glazed over with lust and her blonde hair brushed his face. He wondered how she would react if he sneezed in her face, then and there.

"Mmm, why don't we get out of here and go somewhere more private?" she purred. Natsume could smell the alcohol on her breath, mixed with the cloyingly nauseating scent of her perfume. She was wearing a dark red dress, exposing heavy amounts of cleavage, back, leg, and pretty much everything else. He had to admit that she had a nice body, but it was off-putting the way she displayed it. She was pretty and she used it to get what she wanted.

Natsume immediately wanted to reject her. But he paused before he opened his mouth. A distraction could be what he needed. And it wasn't as if he had any lingering obligations. Especially not to _her_. He flashed Luna a crooked smile.

"Lead on."

* * *

Mikan found herself at Yoichi and Aoi's house fairly quickly. She hadn't thought too hard; she had put her mind on auto pilot and drove steadily. Kaoru stood next to her, clutching her hand tightly with chubby fingers. Looking up at the house, Mikan dryly noted that it was more of a mansion rather than a house. But that was to be expected as Aoi was the one who had picked it. She wasn't sure Yoichi approved of the extravagance, but then again, he could never say no to Aoi. She wasn't sure any male could say no to Aoi.

The pair stopped in front of the door, waiting for Mikan to find the spare key Aoi and Yoichi had given her a while back. Mikan eventually pulled the key from her purse and tried to fit the key into the hole. Her trembling hands shook too much, and she dropped the key two times. The second time, Kaoru reached down for the key and unlocked the door himself, flashing a hesitant, yet reassuring smile. Mikan returned the smile and tugged the boy inside, locking the door behind her. The boy toddled off into the house, pausing briefly to yank off his shoes, and wandered into the living room.

"Daddy!"

Daddy? Was Yoichi home already? Mikan looked up at the grandfather clock and realized it was only 5. Yoichi must have cut work and come home early. She pulled off her shoes and followed after Kaoru quietly.

Yoichi was sprawled across the sofa, suit still on and briefcase by his feet. His tie was tugged down and his shirt was untucked. Mikan hoped he hadn't gone to work like that, but his careless attitude made her slightly nostalgic. He hadn't changed much over the years. Sure, he had become the CEO to Gulliver Industries and had grown in appearance, but at heart, he was still the same. Mikan had been surprised that Gulliver Industries was even able to rope Yoichi into the head positions in the first place. He was incredibly lazy and avoided work at all costs, preferring to sleep instead. Perhaps he had changed a little, while she wasn't looking. Mikan smiled inwardly- it seems that everyone changed, excluding herself.

"Kaoru?" Yoichi asked, eyes still closed. He had been sleeping.

"I take that back about change," Mikan muttered. Yoichi opened one eye, and seeing her, both eyes flew open in shock.

"Mikan? Where's Aoi?!" he demanded.

"Oh, nice to see you too," she growled playfully, moving across the room to ruffle his hair. He pouted before picking Kaoru up and setting him on his lap. Yoichi usually wasn't so expressive about his concern for Aoi, but he let his guard down around Mikan.

"You know I didn't mean it like that. Where's Aoi?"

"I don't know, she left Kaoru with me," she trailed off, not wanting to go into specifics, "but she'll be back soon."  
Noticing her reluctance to speak, Yoichi nodded, realizing he could just call Aoi anyways.

"Why are you back so early?" she asked, changing the topic. Yoichi shrugged and played with Kaoru.

"There wasn't much work for me to do at the office. Besides, I wanted to see Aoi,"

He pouted again. Mikan thought it was cute how much he loved Aoi, and vice versa. She would say that it made her jealous, but Mikan absolutely _hated _being jealous and the idea of jealousy itself. It was such a destructive thing.

Mikan ate dinner with Yoichi and Kaoru, finally leaving at 8. Yoichi didn't seem disturbed that Aoi still wasn't back, but Mikan supposed that this was normal given Aoi's flighty personality.

She bid goodbye to the pair and drove off towards her house, feeling notably calmer than she had felt hours earlier. She drove steadily through the darkened skies, appreciating the calming peace of the dusk. Her phone rang suddenly, startling her reverie. Scrambling for her phone with one hand, Mikan tried to keep her eyes (and attention) on the road.

Flipping her phone open, she shoved it between her ear and shoulder. It was probably Aoi, she figured.

"Hello? Aoi? You should call Yoichi, he's waiting for you right now. I took Kaoru home," she continued talking, but faltered when she didn't hear a response.

"Aoi?"

There was static on the other end. She moved the phone from her ear, checking the caller ID. It wasn't Aoi, it was an unidentified caller. She frowned in puzzlement before ending the call.

Her phone rang again.

"Hello?" she asked in exasperation.

"Ha, what's got you pissed?"

It was a vaguely familiar male voice, rich and smooth, yet reminiscent of her college days.

"Tsubasa?" she asked, this time in bewilderment, "Tsubasa Andou?"

She pulled her car off the road and moved both hands to hold her cellphone to her ear. Tsubasa Andou was her senior in college. While she had been getting her degree for child services, Tsubasa had been pursuing a degree in teaching high school classes. He was a remarkably easygoing senior, but ridiculously rebellious. The star tattoo on his face spoke for itself. Although was never a strong admirer of facial tattoos, she had to admit that his star was as sexy as hell. She also had to admit that she had an enormous crush on Tsubasa. She had been too shy to pursue anything back then, but they had been good friends during her college years. However, after receiving his degree and graduating, he hadn't really contacted Mikan besides the occasional email on her birthday. Even still, she held him in high regard.

"Ha ha, I'm glad you haven't forgotten me yet."

Listening to his laugh made Mikan smile. Despite all of the crazy, fast-paced things that had been happening, she was able to hold onto something. Tsubasa was like a warmly lit house that always had its door open. He was comfortable, but more importantly, a constant. Mikan was finding that she wasn't too keen on variables. Variables were bad when you wanted to maintain stability and safety.

"How have you been? I know you went to teach at that school, but I haven't really heard anything past that. Are the kids okay? How's the staff? You _are _putting that degree to good use? Any pretty female teachers? How's your family?" she asked relentlessly, not giving him time to respond to anything. He laughed again, this time not holding himself back. Mikan suspected that he had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard, but she didn't understand why- it wasn't like anything she said had been funny.

"Ahh, it's been a while since I've laughed so hard. You haven't changed a bit Mikan," he wheezed out between bursts of laughter, "I've been fine. I'm not going to be teaching at my high school after this year though; my parents want me to run the company. I figured I might finally bend a little and do what they want. I'll be the CFO from next year, so I'm coming up to your area and shadowing the company a bit."  
Mikan's eyes widened in shock. She had vaguely remembered Tsubasa's family owning the Andou conglomerate, but she had never believed that Tsubasa would willingly take it on. He had changed as well. All this change was making Mikan uneasy. Regardless, she was happy for him. He sounded so determined and sure of himself.

"That's great! I know you'll do well," she responded. She tried not to let her bad mood temper her tone. Everyone was changing and moving on to bigger things so quickly. Mikan was feeling a bit left out. She had never realized the power and influence her friends had the burden and responsibility of. Maybe it was selfish, but Mikan was afraid that they would leave her behind and forget about her. She shook herself. How could she think that? Tsubasa would never do that. Neither would Hotaru, Ruka, Yoichi, and Aoi. Natsume, well, that was different. But the others were her steadfast friends.

"Thanks," he said, happiness evident in his voice, "but I'm worried a bit. The CFO position is supposed to be temporary, and I'll eventually be CEO. It's a lot of responsibility. Not to mention the fact that I'm taking the current CEO's job without having any real experience…"

"You'll be fine. I mean, you took all those classes and extra tutors from a young age just to prepare you for this position. And that CEO job would have been yours if you didn't get a teaching degree. Worst case, you can probably just stay as CFO if you really don't feel ready," she reassured. Tsubasa was just too nice sometimes, she thought. She giggled a bit, thinking of all the fun times they had in college.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's nice talking to an old friend though. Do you have time tonight? We could meet at a bar or something," he asked. Mikan paused, looking at the clock on the dashboard of her car. It was getting close to 9. She bit her lip. It wasn't like going out for a drink with an old friend was cheating. Besides _he _was the one who had ended what they had. Nonetheless, she still felt bad about it. Besides, would that be leading him on? Mikan wasn't entirely sure, but she figured going to a bar was probably an indicator of some lingering attachments.

"Sorry, Tsubasa, but I'll have to pass this time. How about we meet up at a café that's near the nursery? We can go for a cup of coffee when I'm done with work, if that's fine with you."

Today was a Wednesday, which meant that tomorrow she'd get off early at 1.

"How does 1:30 tomorrow sound? There's this coffee shop called the One Star Café that's pretty good. Want to meet me there?" she asked again, after a brief pause. She could imagine him nodding.

"That sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow then."

The phone disconnected and Mikan smiled happily as she pulled back onto the road. Maybe things would work out from now on.

* * *

Sumire sighed. If only she could get ahold of her fucking boss. The GPS on his phone had led her here; Shirahiku Day Care, otherwise identified as White Chrysanthemum Day Care. The name sounded slightly familiar, but she couldn't exactly remember. Besides, it wasn't high on her list of priorities now. She needed to find out what the deal was with the whole money business, not to mention track down her boss. Looking back up at the day care, Sumire sighed. This would be the first step in figuring out one of those things at least. Unfortunately, as hard as finding her boss would be, it was still the easier of the two tasks. How was she supposed to track down card purchases from a private bank account (even if the account's owner- Natsume –had given permission) without classified information? The bank had been adamant in seeing Natsume first and going down the entire process. But she knew that he wouldn't comply easily. Especially because they required the goddamn card that was the root to all of this. And if Mikan really did have the card, there was no way they could get the two together civilly. If only she could get her hands on those damned files on her own, without any meddling assholes (Natsume included). She blew some stray curls out of her face in frustration. As attractive as her boss was, she wasn't forgiving him for this anytime soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay, we're moving along :)**

* * *

As soon Natsume had left in a huff, Aoi had followed him. He had gone to the main road and called for a taxi while she had gotten into her car in an effort to tail him. She had lost him in the sea of cars quickly though. Damn rush hour, she thought. Pulling out her cell, she called him, but it rang out for a few minutes before hitting her voicemail. Damn Natsume, she thought. Damn his phone too. Damn everything in this entire world that stopped Mikan and Natsume from being together. She was in a surly mood. She just wanted to shove the two of them in a dark closet for a few hours. Everyone was waiting for Natsume to make out with her already; everyone knew that they needed each other.

"Gyah!" she shouted, smashing her head against the steering wheel in frustration. She unwittingly set of the car horn, which earned her several honks in response from other angry cars. Aoi had this strong desire to tell them to fuck off, but they probably wouldn't be the best thing to do.

Disgruntled, she turned off the highway and made for the nearest coffee shop. Not only were her brother's relationship problems creating stress, she had been having a raging headache that wouldn't go away ever since she got back from England. Aoi wasn't sure what to make of it, but she hoped that it was just stress and not side effects from her eye surgery.

"Maybe something warm and caffeinated would help," she mused. She was fairly sure that Kokoroyomi, or Koko, owned a coffee shop nearby. She pursued her lips, trying to remember its name. "Five Star Café? Star Café? Ehh, Star Coffee?" she guessed without success. A sign caught her eye and Aoi brightened up quickly.

"One Star Café!" she announced, brightly grinning. Aoi never understood why Koko had insisted on naming it one star. That gave it an air of inadequacy, or so she thought. Koko adamantly refused to rename it though, so she left it alone. It wasn't like the name was affecting his business. Hopefully.

She opened the door to the café, instantly warmed by the familiar and soothing scent of roasted coffee beans. Koko was checking out customers, despite being the owner of the café. He was a good friend of Yoichi's, and hers by default. Luckily, he kept his shop running late, so Aoi stopped by occasionally when she picked up Kaoru from daycare. However, recently she hadn't really had the time to leisurely sit and drink coffee.

"Koko! How are you?" she asked enthusiastically while he rung up the last customer. He turned to face her, a smile ever present on his face, and nodded in acknowledgement. Evidently, she had forgotten how little he talked. She ordered a large cup of black coffee, deciding that she needed the caffeine.

Seating herself heavily at one of the tables, she inhaled the steamy aroma and closed her eyes. Her headache wasn't as bad now. They typically came and went, short bursts of pain that she felt throughout the day. Luckily Aoi wasn't working. She had taken a sickness leave from her job as a lawyer. Aoi didn't really need the job, but she found it a good way to use her time.

Time passed quickly in the café. Before Aoi knew it, the clock hands showed that it was 8. And she hadn't called Yoichi or anything. Checking her phone, she glumly noticed it was out of battery. The world was hell-bent on working against her, wasn't it? On the bright side, Yoichi usually got home at 9, so if she left now, she could meet him at the house.

She drove quickly, not bothering to stop at several stop signs in the neighborhood, before reaching her house. The lights were all on and Yoichi's car was parked in the driveway. Aoi looked at her watch which read 8:30 and back at the car. She hoped that he hadn't gotten home too early.

Opening the door, she snuck into the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't notice. Despite being fairly lazy, Yoichi was by no means unobservant, and noticed her immediately.

"Hey, you. Where've you been?" he asked, not bothering to get up from the couch, "Kaoru's already in bed. You do know how late it is, right?" His voice took on a somewhat accusatory manner. Aoi smiled guiltily- she supposed that it was fairly late, considering she didn't have to go to work or anything. Nonetheless, she was glad that Yoichi was worried about her, even if he didn't show it as openly.

"Aww, were you worried about me?" she teased lightly. He pouted.

"No, I was just bored without someone to entertain me."

It was her turn to pout. She moved to sit next to him on the couch, arms wrapped around her knees. She squished one cheek against her knee and tilted her face to look at him under long dark lashes. The two sat in silence, with the noisy chatter from the TV filling up the silence between the pair. Aoi had been planning on holding out on Yoichi, but seeing his tired expression, cut him slack and shifted to lean against his body.

"I'm sorry. I was out chasing my stupid brother and trying to make him happier. I also visited Koko, but I lost track of time," she murmured, making sure to leave out any mention of her headaches. That would just cause Yoichi to worry excessively.

Yoichi didn't make any comments, but shifted her body to sit in his lap, facing him. He nuzzled her neck, gently placing kisses along her smooth translucent skin. A healthy pink glow worked its way up to cover her shoulders and part of her face.

"Idiot," he whispered against her skin, "I called twice. You should have let me know."

"My phone ran out of battery-"

Her voice rose at the end when he bit down on her earlobe softly. She moved to kiss his lips and the two fought gently for dominance. Yoichi eventually overpowered her, but Aoi didn't mind as it felt good regardless. She moaned quietly into his mouth and she could feel his lips move into a smirk.

His hands moved up to cup her rear and Aoi moved against his body slyly. She purposefully pressed her breasts into his chest and her groin into his crotch. Yoichi noticed and cocked a brow lazily. He shifted his knee to rub against her clothed womanhood, making sure that she could feel every movement.

"A-a-ahh, Yoichi, d-don't tease," she stuttered.

His only response was to pull her shirt to reveal her bra and nip her bra-clad breast.

The friction had built a slow warmth inside her, and coupled with the nip, culminated to a muffled keen. She buried her moan into his neck as she came, eyes shut tightly. Falling back from her bliss, she slid from Yoichi's embrace and moved to unzip his pants.

He watched her with feigned disinterest. She pulled the zipper of his fly to release his hardened manhood. His pants and boxers were eagerly pulled down to his ankles. Aoi took the head of his erection and gently kissed it. Yoichi desperately tried to maintain his nonchalant façade. Her slender white hand grazed his length, eventually moving to close over it and pump up and down fluidly. He stiffened in pleasure and released a deep groan when she pulled her mouth over his length again. Damn, why was she so good at this, he thought. She moved her mouth to encompass a large measure of his erection, her hands covering the rest. Her mouth shifted to pump his length in and out, building the same rhythm he had done with her. Slow, yet steadily building up fire. Yoichi could feel himself tense in anticipation and pleasure, and finally snapped, hands curled in her hair, urging her to move faster. She obliged with a cheeky grin, never missing a stroke, and Yoichi's thoughts broke off in a cloudy haze of heavy desire. She finished him off with one long suck and he came in a violent burst of pleasure. It rolled in waves throughout his body and he released into her mouth. She swallowed, and even licked the excess fluids from his softened length. He looked down at her with half-lidded eyes, feeling himself harden with the innocently sensual act. He bent off the couch and pulled her into his arms while tugging up his pants at the same time.  
"Let's finish this in bed," he growled. She happily threw her arms around his neck and let him carry her to their bedroom.

* * *

Something rang shrilly. Natsume groaned, rolling over to grab the phone on the bedside table. He groped around for a moment, eventually realizing that his phone wasn't there, and it wasn't his phone making the noise. Opening his eyes fully, Natsume jolted up with a start when he realized that he wasn't in his own bed and that the body next to him was not his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, he amended. Regardless, looking at the mess of strawberry blond hair next to him Natsume was flooded with memories of yesterday. He almost wished that he could blame those unfortunate events on the one glass of whiskey he had imbibed, but Natsume knew better. His actions had been deliberate and fueled by a need for vengeance. Clearly, even without the influence of alcohol, he was unable to make proper decisions.

Natsume slid from the bed, careful not to disturb the woman next to him. He wanted to retch in disgust. He never really liked Luna, but doing something like this made him feel bad for her. He had used her in order to satisfy his anger at Mikan. On the other hand, he was pretty sure that she hadn't minded being used as a replacement at all. But then again, Luna was always like that. As long as she got what she wanted, it didn't matter how she got it.

He ran his hands along the floor, trying to find his clothes through the dim light that filtered in from the curtains. He found a used condom, exhaling in relief when he realized that he had maintained some portion of his rationality last night. What time was it anyways? Natsume reached for his pants and boxers, slipping them on quietly before checking his back pocket for his phone. It was gone. Natsume realized with a start that he had left it in the bathroom of the daycare. Damn. That meant that he would have to go back and risk the chance of facing _her_. He swallowed down any leftover worries. It wouldn't help him in this situation. Instead, he looked for his shirt which hung on the back of the chair. He buttoned it up quickly and reached for the glass of water on the table. Luna's phone continued to ring, so Natsume turned the volume down in hopes of not waking up the blonde. Finishing off the cup of water, Natsume turned to the door, making sure he had his wallet with him.

He shook off that nagging feeling of regret for sleeping with Luna as he took one last look at the sleeping figure and exited the hotel room. Natsume desperately tried to clamp down on all these confusing emotions that swamped his brain. However, the biggest question still lingered in his mind: why did he feel so goddamn guilty towards Mikan?

* * *

Persona got up before Nobara. It was dark outside, and Persona realized that it had been an hour since he had made love to Nobara. She lay curled up in the curve of his body, head trapping his forearm. He smiled down and gingerly brushed some hair from her face.

Something rapped the front door. Persona froze, squinting in disgust. He was only clad in his boxers and Nobara was in her underwear, blissfully unaware. He shrugged on his shirt and pants quickly, tossed some clothes over Nobara, and moved to the door.

It was someone unrecognizable. A woman, fairly tall, with short permed hair. She was wearing an immaculate suit that was freshly ironed and she wore heels on her feet. Persona immediately categorized her as a secretary, or some other office worker. More importantly, she was tightly gripping a sleek, modern cellphone and was looking down on it with a nasty expression on her face. Persona was perplexed, but unlocked the nursery door anyways, poking his head out.

"What do you want? The nursery is closed," he muttered. She brought her head up to glare at him, then sighed with exasperation.

"Is there a Natsume Hyuuga here?" she asked tiredly.

He shook his head in denial.

"DAMN HIM," she shouted in frustration, smashing her hand against the glass door. It didn't break, but it made a satisfying noise. Persona stiffened in shock, but years of training as a government agent didn't allow him to appear too surprised. From behind the bookcase, Nobara poked her sleepy face up, still unclothed for the most part.

"Sumire? Is that you?" she asked blearily, rubbing sleep from her eyes. The woman's eyes widened in shock.

"Nobara?"

She pushed past Persona and moved to where Nobara sat, still half naked. Nobara, still not awake, tiredly pulled her shirt on and looked around for her pants. She yawned cutely. Sumire just looked at the woman smugly, and glanced at Persona's disheveled state as well.

"Nice catch," Sumire remarked, "Who's this?"

She tilted her head towards Persona. Nobara blinked a few times, finally coming to her senses.

"He's my boyfriend. Watch out, he's a government agent, so if you make him angry, he'll probably dig up all sort of information about you," she giggled. Usually people took this as a joke, but Persona wasn't sure what to make of the speculative gleam in Sumire's eyes.

"A government agent with access to all sorts of information… You don't say," she murmured.

**"**Mhm," Nobara nodded happily. Persona sighed, thinking that Nobara was speaking a little _too _freely, even if she did know this woman. His job wasn't, strictly speaking, supposed to be made public.

Whirling around to face Persona, Sumire looked at him pensively. This could be the solution to Natsume and Mikan's problems.

"How about you do a little bit of digging for me, hmm?"


	9. Chapter 9

**So I guess I need to apologize in advance because I'm not going to be active for the next four weeks (debate camp D: ). Instead of posting like three chapters a week or whatever it's been, I think that it'll be around one chapter per week. Sorry, I'll make it up by writing furiously when I get back. :P**

* * *

Her work had gotten out early than she had expected. The kids had all been picked up on time, so she didn't have to stay behind with any stragglers. Thursdays usually meant that parents picked kids up at 12:45, so she had expected to get out at 1. But strangely enough, Mikan was seated at the One Star Café and had gone through two cups of coffee by 1, browsing a magazine. There were various celebrity scandals going on, and Mikan skimmed the articles with obvious disinterest. A photo caught her eye; it was an article for Hyuuga Corp. Natsume was emblazoned on the page, depicted standing in his office looking out the large glass windows into the fading sunset. It was an extremely picturesque photo for an article, but Mikan supposed that it suited something as large and ostentatious as Hyuuga Corp.

Something akin to a bittersweet smile flickered on her face. Mikan had been thinking a lot these days, lingering especially on the opportunities that she had passed up to explain things to Natsume. When she had called up Hotaru and explained everything, unable to hide anything from her best friend, Hotaru had berated her mercilessly. "Do you want to lose him?" she had asked viciously. Mikan had frozen up at that comment. She wanted to reassure her immediately that losing him was the last thing that she had wanted, but she couldn't. The words fell flat on her tongue. She didn't know what to say. The more Mikan thought about it, the more she realized that there was a part of her urging to let Natsume go on two accounts. The first was simple: if he couldn't trust her in their relationship, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Although Mikan had never been a staunch supporter of things like fate and destiny, she truly believed that some things just wouldn't work out, regardless of how hard you tried. To Mikan, trust was essential. After having her mother leave at an early age, Mikan upheld trust above almost all. Sure, she was free with giving out her trust, but betraying her trust was something near unforgiveable. As petty as it sounded, Mikan just couldn't stomach that fact that Natsume didn't trust her, and it caused her to question the durability of another relationship with him.

The second reason wasn't any better. Mikan felt like she was holding him back. He was a CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation, incredibly powerful and influential. Although she knew that his family would accept her, she wasn't sure the rest of elite society would. Even in the years that they had privately dated, there was always stinging gossip about the "leeching whore" or "gold-digging seductress" that had beguiled Natsume. And those weren't even the worst names she had heard.

Mikan sighed heavily, trying to expel some of her stress unsuccessfully. She firmly closed the magazine, watching its pages flutter down and reveal its brightly decorated cover. Reaching for her coffee with one hand, Mikan checked her phone. It was 1:45, and Tsubasa still hadn't shown up yet.

"Well, he was always late back in college. Guess that didn't change," she remarked.

There were two missed calls on her phone, both from the same unknown number. This was the fourth time. She had gotten a call in the car, then at home, and two while she was at work. She had tried calling back several times, yet all she could hear was static before she hung up in frustration. She pouted, thinking that it probably wasn't helping her phone bill to be making such unnecessary calls. The thought of bills made her even glummer. Recently, her rent had spiked up and her salary at the nursery wasn't exactly enormous. Not only that, Mikan still had to pay the rest of her hospital bills from her unexpected emergency visits. Although Sumire and Yoichi had helped a bit while she was unconscious, Mikan had to pay off a few more fees before she was completely cleared. And this was all on top of her grandfather's medical bills, which was the reason she had even moved to the city in the first place. She considered the idea of picking up another job. It wasn't as if it was impossible. In fact, it might be good to distract herself from all these rapid changes. She nodded to herself, strengthening her resolve to move on and get a grip on her life.

The door chimed as it announced the entrance of another customer. Mikan whirled around, happy to be greeted by Tsubasa's familiar smile. He was wearing a beige beanie that kept his dark flyaway hair down close to his head and casual street clothes. Mikan laughed silently to herself, thinking that his attire wasn't exactly suited for the potential second-in-command of a multimillion dollar corporation.

"Mikan!" his eyes lit up when he saw her. Mikan flashed a wide smile and stood up to wave to him. She straightened her clothes slightly. Mikan had felt obliged to dress up slightly for their coffee meet, wearing a dusky rose skirt and heels. She had even put in the effort to iron a cream short sleeved blouse, which was saying a lot. Mikan didn't usually put that much effort into things like this, but for some reason, she had wanted to dress up a little.

Tsubasa moved to the counter to order his coffee and Mikan reseated herself, sweeping the magazine off the table and pushing it deep into her bag. She sipped her coffee, enjoying its soothing warmth, and looked out the large window behind her. It was fairly cloudy today; recently, the weather was starting to colder and uglier. Mikan didn't mind too much though. The clouds looked velvety and kept the world softly lit, which was easier on the eyes.

Someone tugged her ponytail, snapping her attention back from her thoughts. Tsubasa flashed a cheeky grin and held up a pastry bag in one hand.

"Sorry I'm late. This place is hard to find! I brought Fluff Puffs," he added, watching the woman's eyes gleam in anticipation.

"I haven't had one of those in forever," she said wistfully. He laughed, throwing the bag at her in response. She caught it, almost dropping it, and eagerly opened up the bag to reach inside and place one of the sugary confectionaries in her mouth. She moaned in delight.

"Hey, keep it down will you," he teased. She blushed lightly, but paid him little attention as she ate the sweets.

"Mhm," she murmured through the candy. A nimble tongue darted out to catch the excess bits that had clung to her fingers.

"Have some dignity, will you? You're an adult, Mikan," he told her jokingly. Mikan pouted in response.

"Sure, sure," she waved off, "So spill all the gossip on your new company! Is there a girl?"

Tsubasa flushed. So there _was _a girl. She cocked one eyebrow at him and waited for him to divulge.

"Well. I mean, there isn't a girl. I met Misaki and it's not like there's anything, but maybe something and I think that, well, I don't know, so-" he babbled on until Mikan cut him off.

"MISAKI? You're gay?" she whispered loudly, confusion written on her face. Tsubasa choked and spluttered.

"GAY? Where did you get THAT?"

"Misaki! Like, Hyuuga Corp's Misaki? Like Narumi's Misaki?" she asked incredulously.

Tsubasa burned bright red. Even the tips of his ears were on fire.

"NO. NOOO," he vehemently denied. She cocked her head and waited.

"I was talking about the CEO of my company. You know?" he muttered, still embarrassed. She flushed as well, before brightening up.

"What does she look like? How is she like? Does she know that you like her?" Mikan asked animatedly.

"She's really pretty and nice. You'd like her, I think. I haven't really spent that much time with her outside of the office, so probably not…"

Mikan was happy. Tsubasa deserved someone nice in his life, and he sounded extremely happy as well.

"Ah, that's good," she said, feeling content at that moment. She paused to sip her coffee and glance out the window. Several cars passed by and Mikan almost thought she had seen Natsume's face, but was improbable. It seemed that her mind was creating a hallucination in order to satisfy her selfish desires. The mind played cruel, cruel tricks.


	10. Chapter 10

**Haha one a week updates are gonna be a tad hard, but I'll make it happen- this debate camp is like SUPER intense, so sorry. ;3;**

* * *

Ruka had never felt more nervous. It bubbled up in one large pit in his stomach and stayed there, a constant reminder. People often described nervousness to feel like butterflies, but Ruka was fairly sure that butterflies didn't feel so vicious. But then again, he didn't really know. All Ruka _did know_ was that it wasn't a pleasant feeling and left him queasy. Nonetheless, he stayed next to Hotaru, walking at a leisurely pace through their large, scenic garden. It faintly reminded Ruka of the garden that he had grown up with back home.

Hotaru strolled beside him quietly, deep in thought. No doubt she was planning another invention, or some other scheme which she would undoubtedly make millions with- if not more. The corners of his mouth were tugged up in amusement. Hotaru was entrenched in her mind. She walked aimlessly and carelessly, letting the hem of her lavender sundress trail the ground. The white large-brimmed hat that she wore bounced with each step that she took, shading her expression. Ruka straightened imaginary wrinkles from the powder blue dress shirt he was wearing. He regretted wearing dark slacks that retained heat. At least he would look nice when they reached the veranda and he popped the question. Thinking about it made him uneasy, so Ruka focused on the way that Hotaru unconsciously swung her arms. It was cute, and unexpectedly childish, but it made Ruka love her even more. He hadn't even realized how much he loved her until moments like these. Then the weight of his affection hit him and left him stunned for who knows how long. How can you like someone so much?

But Ruka supposed that was a good thing- the capacity to feel so much emotion for someone other than yourself. It was an incredible feeling, almost indescribable. Just knowing that there was someone else was reassuring. Caring for someone felt good. And that inexplicable desire to protect and cherish overwhelmed the mind with a sort of ecstasy that couldn't be fought off. Ruka hadn't been sure if the feeling was love at first, but if it wasn't, it came damn near close. Looking back, Ruka realized that he had always loved her, really, and that it was just a desperate foolishness of youth that kept him from reaching that epiphany.

The pair paused, realizing that they had reached the white veranda that was shrouded with veils of ivy and other climbing flowers. Sun shone brightly, illuminating the painted wooden boards through the netting of foliage. Ruka bounded up the steps nimbly, offering his hand to Hotaru. She took it nonchalantly, without saying a word. Ruka smiled, realizing that Hotaru was in a good mood. Typically, she would have brushed past him, or worse, give him a dirty look.

He led her to the padded benches that were built into the wall, and sat beside her. Ruka wasn't sure what to do next. There were always cheesy movies where the guy had this giant, dramatic set-up that had the girl swooning and the two got married the day after or something similar. Ruka sneaked a sideways glance at Hotaru. Yup, definitely not the swooning type. Besides, Ruka wasn't big on showy, attention grabbing display of affection unless Hotaru was into it as well. Although there was an element of shyness that held him back, he also didn't want to risk doing something she wouldn't like and get rejected. Smaller, simpler things with deeper meaning worked better with Hotaru.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Ruka thought furiously, trying to come up with a good answer.

"Ahh, well, I just wanted to know- ehm- how your work was…?" he managed to reply. She raised an eyebrow.

"That's all?" she asked. He nodded vigorously, hoping she wouldn't pry.

Keeping the bored expression on her face, she briefly described her latest project that involved some sort of truth serum. Ruka shuddered, hoping he would never be on the receiving end of Hotaru's fury. Her genius mind was unrestrained and roamed free. _That _was especially frightening.

"Hotaru," Ruka interrupted her explanation with an odd look on his face. She nodded, looking slightly peeved at having been cut off.

"I- uh, I wanted to ask-"

He paused and fumbled in his pockets before withdrawing a velveteen box.

"I- I… It would make me extremely happy, and uh, oh!"

He shifted to rest on one knee and clumsily opened the box to reveal a heavy gold ring.

"Marry me?" he barely choked out. He knew he had botched it up, but she seemed to have understood the message, which was good.

Hotaru picked it up and held it close to her face, squinting her eyes slightly

"No thanks," she replied with disinterest, dropping the ring back. Ruka's face fell and his insides froze instantly. He could almost feel his heartbeat slow. Ruka had always tried to prepare himself for rejection, but honestly, he never actually thought she would reject him. Even with Hotaru's callous exterior, he was fairly sure he cared. His expression dimmed from a hopeful look to a crestfallen pout. Seeing this, Hotaru took pity on him and clarified.

"I'm not that willing to get married to Mikan anytime soon," she murmured, tapping the box with one outstretched index finger. Ruka's brow furrowed and he pulled the ring out, inspecting the inner band. Surely enough, it had _I Love You –Mikan _engraved on it. It was definitely a man's ring, given that there was nothing delicate about it. He couldn't imagine it on Hotaru's pale, slender finger.

"Fuck."

"You didn't go ring shopping with that idiot, did you?" she dryly asked, "Because Mikan is the most clueless person ever. She probably mixed them up by accident. I'm assuming this is for Natsume."

Thank god she was brilliant and didn't misunderstand the situation. Ruka looked back up at her.

"But will you marry _me_?" he asked again, stringing all his hope on the question. She smiled gently- a real smile- before sighing softly. She draped her arms around Ruka and kissed him hard.

"Why don't you propose with the right ring and we'll see."

This was a side of Hotaru that only Ruka really got to see: the domineering, pushy, but more affectionate side. Even though her words didn't hold any promise, her actions did. Ruka didn't respond, and kissed her back instead, expressing his reaction in that manner. A genius like Hotaru would understand.

* * *

Natsume sped back to the daycare after work. He belatedly realized that he had left his phone there, and was anxious to get it back. His phone had everything on it: contacts, work agenda, personal notifications, everything. He groaned again, feeling the need to smash his face into the steering wheel. If Sumire found out- which she probably would- she would give him hell for it.

The cars in front of him trickled slowly. Apparently there was an accident or something, and the entire intersection was clogged up. Natsume grimaced and turned his attention to the small shops that bordered the street. They were all quaint little stores, antique shops and cafes. One name stood out to him, the One Star Café. He hadn't realized that Koko had built his café here. Natsume had always assumed it would be more glamorous and befitting of his station. It wasn't as if Koko needed the work. He had just insisted on opening up the café for who knows why.

He spied the gentle curve of a neck and familiar shade of brown hair. He shifted his body to scrutinize the form through the café window. A crisp white blouse that hid the pale shell of her back. White hands that fluttered animatedly as she spoke. It was undoubtedly Mikan. She was sitting in the café facing the window, but twisted her body to a dark haired man with a mark upon his cheek who was ordering at the counter. Natsume was close enough to see the happy expression that adorned the man's face as he talked with Mikan. He seethed. Mikan had clearly dressed up for this little "date" and they both seemed happy. She was moving on from their relationship exceptionally fast. But then again, it wasn't as if he could say anything given his night with Luna. Knowing this, Natsume gritted his teeth and drove on to retrieve his phone, missing the whirl of brown hair that turned to watch his car leave.

* * *

Sumire was ecstatic. She wasn't sure how exactly she had managed to coerce Nobara's boyfriend into helping her, but here he was in her office, hacking into bank data. Granted, it had required a LOT of persuasion on Nobara's part, but ultimately he had acquiesced. Sumire was immensely thankful that Nobara was looking out for Mikan, and in turn, making Sumire's life a lot easier. Nonetheless, she smirked to herself. If Persona was able to gather the information they needed, then it would be a simple task of proving to Natsume that none of this was Mikan's fault and the two of them would fall back together. Although Sumire never thought of herself as a romantic, she did support their relationship and was disheartened to see them break apart. And recently, the quality of Natsume's work was decreasing, so she heavily suspected that he was more affected by their break up than he let on.

Persona continued to tap at keys, or working his government magic as Nobara dubbed it. He was reluctant to bow down to the wishes of the bossy woman at first, but Nobara had pleaded so desperately, and he had come to care for Mikan as well. She was almost a motherly figure, despite being much younger, and tried to baby him. He chuckled and resumed typing. It didn't require any use of government ID to break into the bank's security network and access the files Sumire wanted. Although it wasn't, strictly speaking, legal to hack like this, especially given his job, Persona felt obliged to help the girl out. Mikan, not Sumire. And Natsume could go rot in hell for all he cared. And it wasn't like Persona was aiming to take down all of the bank's network defenses; he was just trying to slip past their notice and gather the information they needed. His computer pinged a few more times, signaling its completion.

"Do you have a printer?" he gruffly asked. Sumire nodded, not taking her eyes from the information on the screen, and pointed to the corner. Quickly, he connected to the printer via network and made hard copies of the documents he had retrieved. Sumire nearly sprinted to the printer and quickly scanned the documents, still warm and wet with ink. She released an audible gasp.

"Oh, no," she whispered. Persona stuck out one hand and she gave him the first page of two. He read the information that revealed large purchases at various high end stores under Mikan Sakura's credit card. The total came slightly above $500,000. Sumire silently offered the second page, sinking into her comfortable office chair. It detailed the purchases: where, when, and what was bought. Persona sighed as well, echoing her sentiment. Things weren't looking good for Mikan.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry it's short, I'll try to post soon. Thanks for all the review though, I didn't realize that many people read this. Looking through the review is giving me motivation to crank these chapters out faster! :)**

* * *

Mikan didn't know what Aoi was thinking when she forced her into the high end boutique. It was clean and polished and perfumed. Everything was also very, very bright- even by Mikan's standards. There were fluorescent lights that shone down and reflected off the white walls, large mirrors, and glass panels. It was the exact type of store Mikan tended to avoid. For one, they were expensive, and Mikan typically didn't like those types of clothes anyways. She preferred comfortable yet stylish garb.

Another pile of dresses rained down the dressing room stall. Mikan was sitting in her underwear on the small bench while Aoi threw dress after dress into the stall. The silk, velvet, and lace pooled together in slippery puddles, occasionally sprinkled with gems and buttons and brooches. Mikan was dazzled by the garments, but tried them on reluctantly. She believed that they were the type of things that should be admired in magazines, not actually tried on.

"This one, Mikan,"

A dress was draped over the door and Aoi shook it impatiently. It was bright orange but cut sleekly, revealing patches of skin along the sides. It was clearly well made and reeked of money. Mikan pulled it on, leaving it unzipped in the back. She took a good look in the mirror.

It was okay, she supposed, but nothing special. Aoi opened the door and squinted.

"You look good, but I don't think that's it," she said slowly, still examining Mikan. The other girl hastily nodded and slipped it off her shoulders. Wordlessly, Aoi thrust a dark blue dress, a pink dress, a lavender one, another dark blue, a black dress, and a lighter blue dress. She tried on dress after dress. Eventually, they all blurred together and Mikan could hardly remember what she had already tried on and what she hadn't. Although Mikan looked fine in most of the dresses, something was still lacking. Mikan would have been okay with any dress, but Aoi was obstinate and had decided that Mikan needed to look impeccable. Mikan soon grew tired of it all and strode out of the dressing room to browse for something herself.

The initial reluctance to shift through incredibly expensive clothes soon wore off and Mikan aggressively pushed hangers aside in order to find a suitable garment. She frowned in distaste when browsing. Everything was so flashy and could only be described to be "high fashion." Finally, Mikan emerged victorious. She carried the dress gingerly to the dressing room and locked the door behind her.

She unzipped the dress and slid it over her head in a rustle of silk. It fell to hang from her shoulders and cling softly to her body down to her feet. Mikan slowly turned to the floor length mirror and appraised her reflection.

It was a crimson red, which brought out the warmer hues in her hair and eyes. The dress was silk and hung from wide straps. The proper name for the dress was a halter top and Mikan was glad to see that it accentuated her moderate bust. Although she wasn't completely flat per se, but a B-cup wasn't necessarily something to brag about. The v-neck came down fairly low, she noted. She hoped that there wouldn't be any old men checking out what cleavage she had. The waist was cinched in with another wide strip of crimson fabric that had some sort of lace applique. It wasn't excessively extravagant, but Mikan appreciated the way it enhanced the natural curves of her body without being too over the top.

"Aoi?" she called out hesitantly. The girl burst into the dressing room and her eyes widened. She smiled gleefully- almost maniacally- and grabbed both of Mikan's hands.

"It's prefect!" she squealed, "He won't be able to resist!"

Mikan knew who Aoi was alluding to and chose to stay silent. She hadn't told Aoi that she had resolved to move on, given the way Natsume reacted. She had only told Aoi her side of the story in order to reassure the woman of her fidelity. But Aoi had mistaken her explanation as a desire to get back together. She smiled weakly, thinking that the world was acting against her once again. At least she looked nice.

* * *

Yoichi was feeling restless. Something left him feeling uneasy and unable to relax. He paced in his office and refused to complete any work. There was this feeling of some foreboding misfortune, and that scare Yoichi. Everything had been incredibly turbulent lately; from Mikan's breakup, everything had seemed to move downhill. He stood with his arms crossed and brow furrowed, looking from the top floor of the tall company building. He frowned, trying to figure out how to deal with all of the ridiculously sudden changes. Not only did he have to take care of his family, but he felt obligated to look after Mikan; she had been through so much and everyone would be devastated if she had to suffer any other hardships. Gritting his teeth, Yoichi's glare soured as he realized that this was not going to be the end. There was just _something _brewing for the future and it could very well break Mikan.

Yoichi unclenched his fists, thinking of his senior in school. He fondly remembered meeting Aoi through the girl. Mikan had introduced the two, and become a mentor of sorts to the two of them. They had followed her everywhere and ended up building a fairly good relationship themselves. Although there was initially some jealousy, it had dissipated quickly into a strong comradery. That was another thing that he owed Mikan for: meeting Aoi. He heaved a heavy sigh, turning to face the door and slumping in an intimidating office chair. Yoichi aimlessly traced the worn hide of the black leather, whistling quietly.

"Yoichi!"

His secretary barged in, shocking Yoichi badly enough to cause him to jump out of his chair. He burned red in embarrassment and recomposed himself into "CEO-mode" as Aoi had dubbed it.

"What is it?" he asked, folding his arms and straightening his stance.

"Ehh… sir," she said urgently. She kept her voce hushed in order to avoid drawing any attention. Although Yooichi's office made up a large majority of the uppermost floor of the company building, many people passed by and you could never be too wary of conflict-hungry gossips.

"Bad news?" he guessed, judging from her tone.

His secretary nervously stumbled to his side and agitatedly glanced from side to side before motioning for Yoichi to lean down. He did so, not choosing to comment on his secretary's unusual unprofessionalism. She whispered in his ear.

"Ms. Sakura's grandfather- he's in critical condition."

"WHAT?!" Yoichi shouted. The woman cringed and brought her index finger to her lips, motioning for him to quiet down.

"He's been moved into the intensive care war and his health has dropped… I don't think they've been able to get a hold of Ms. Sakura yet."

Yoichi gripped the edge of his desk and swayed; the man had been a great influence in his life, serving as a sort of substitute father. Even worse, though, was going to be Mikan's reaction. And Aoi's reaction.

Yoichi never dreaded being right more than ever.

* * *

His hand wavered over the phone. He knew that calling her would be devastating. One misstep and everything would be lost. He frowned, trying to figure out why he was so hesitant. It wasn't as if he had done anything wrong. But nonetheless, something barred him from picking up the phone and calling her right away. He glanced apprehensively at the phone, examining its glossy black exterior. It was in pristine condition. He hadn't used it much. He didn't really have reason to.

His secretary came in, disrupting his train of thought. There was work to be done. As always. And it had to be done now. It was odd that people didn't have a sense of priority. Personal matters such as these were more important and pressing. He gritted his teeth and picked up the phone in one fluid motion, waving his secretary away with the other hand.

His fingers quickly picked out the buttons corresponding with her number. He knew it by heart.

It rang once, twice, thrice. Although the phone continued ringing, he didn't let himself hang up.

After all, Misaki might not have a date to the Hyuuga Anniversary Ball.


	12. Chapter 12

1000 APOLOGIES! I came back from debate camp and everything was okay for a bit, but then school started and hah what even. Regardless, I have been neglecting this and I'm so sorry. On the bright side, I lightened my class schedule and I'm going to be able update more regularly now. :3

* * *

The trip back was accompanied by a peaceful silence. Ruka was even feeling bold enough to hold Hotaru's hand the entire flight back. For once, she returned his grip lightly- which was enough to make Ruka smile. She never openly returned affection.

Ruka glanced at his watch. Their flight was expected to last at least another hour. He yawned before leaning his head against the window of the plane. They were sitting in first class, but it was oddly empty considering that it was a well-travelled route. Ruka didn't mind though, as it meant having to deal with potentially nosy and disruptive passengers. The only person nearby was a man with neatly trimmed hair and glasses. Given that he was studiously reading a law book, Ruka didn't think that he would cause much clamor. His eyes started to flutter shut, but he tried to stay awake. He didn't particularly enjoy sleeping in cramped positions; sitting in first class wasn't that much of an upgrade in terms of available space for a full grown man. Trying to shift discreetly, Ruka accidentally nudged Hotaru. Her head slumped to the side and hit his shoulder. He stiffened, before turning slowly to glance at her. Was she… sleeping?

"Hotaru?" he whispered. She grumbled, still asleep, and nuzzled into his shoulder more. He blushed and twisted into a more comfortable position, making sure he didn't disrupt her slumber. She must be incredibly tired, he noted, to fall asleep in public. Hotaru was a relatively private person and didn't feel comfortable exposing "vulnerabilities" in private, let alone public settings. He gently slid the plastic window shade down and spread the complimentary blanket across her body. She looked adorable cocooned in the swath of fabric. Not that he'd ever tell her. Hotaru would probably release some embarrassing photos of his childhood in revenge.

He turned to study the man he had previously noted, sitting in the aisle across from them. Ruka squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the man's features, and thought hard. He looked slightly familiar with his sandy blond hair that curled inwards slightly and wire framed glasses. Ruka stared a while longer, taking in the smartly buttoned up dress shirt and slacks. The man was every inch the respectable lawyer. Maybe it was one of Aoi's friends from work?

Feeling that he was being watched, the man turned and widened his eyes when he met Ruka's steady squint.

"Ruka?" he asked incredulously, clearly taken back. His hands fell from his book and he cocked his head slightly, "Is that you?"

Ruka continued to stare, unable to connect the face to a name. He vaguely recognized the voice. Finally, it clicked.

"Class rep?!" he nearly yelled in surprise before remembering the napping Hotaru, "Ahh, it's Tobita Yuu now, isn't it? You're not our class rep anymore."

"Our?" Tobita asked in confusion. His eyes widened considerably as he noticed Hotaru.

"Is that… H-hotaru Imai?"he stuttered. Ruka remembered that in their younger years, Hotaru had created quite a reputation with her "anti-idiot" inventions. Although Tobita might never have been on the receiving end of a Baka Gun, but he was probably threatened with it at least once.

"Soon to be Hotaru _Nogi_," he bragged smugly. The shock on Tobita's face was amusing, and Ruka pulled the blanket up around Hotaru better, just to shock the poor man further. After all, this was _Hotaru Imai._

"B-b-but, that's _Hotaru_," Tobita stated, still doubtful.

"Yes, I _do _know who she is, and I plan to marry her."

"But _Imai_?!"

"Yes, Hotaru _Imai_," Ruka patiently explained.

"But-"

"Excuse me sir, but could you please refrain from shouting?" the stewardess asked, "Also, you must remain seated- we're expecting turbulence."  
Tobita flushed and awkwardly sat down when he realized everyone in first class was looking at him. He slumped into the chair and tried to glare at Ruka in irritation. Given the fact that it was Tobita, it wasn't entirely intimidating. Ruka tried to hide a smile and waved back. Tobita gave a snort of annoyance and fixedly turned to his book, thinking that this was going to be a hell of a plane ride.

* * *

Mikan threw herself into the chair and dropped her head to hit the fancy white tablecloth. Tsubasa chuckled quietly and seated himself across her. They were sitting at a fancy restaurant that Tsubasa had recommended, planning on enjoying dinner. Usually Mikan would reject his offers to eat at such a ritzy place- especially if he was paying- but today she was too tired to argue.

"Was shopping that bad?" he asked, looking at her over the menu. She nodded wearily and hauled herself up in a more presentable manner.

"Only with Aoi," she muttered darkly.

"I think you're the only girl who hates shopping like that. I mean, don't girls _like _spending money on expensive dresses and shiny jewelry and shit?" he inquired, focusing on his menu now.

"Honest to god, I don't think it's worth making such a big deal over. I mean, it's not like I'm dressing to impress someone."

The last statement was a bitter reminder. But Tsubasa didn't know that.

"What about your fiancée? Not dressing up for him?" he asked, indicating to the waiter that he wanted a bottle of red wine at the same time. She watched him point to the menu, trying to collect her thoughts. She sighed heavily, looking down at the folded cloth napkin on her lap.

"No, I'm not going with him. I was just going to take, I don't know, someone else." she said and left it at that. Tsubasa glanced at her quickly, taking in her subdued demeanor before smiling widely.

"Come with me then."

Mikan froze a bit before answering- she hadn't even entertained the idea.

"What about Misaki?"

"Nah, she's going with Tono. Damn him, he beat me to her," he trailed off, murderous intent in his eyes. The waiter, who had arrived with a tray with the wine, took one look at Tsubasa, set the wine down, and scurried away. Mikan didn't inquire as to who this "Tono" was, but she already felt sorry for him; after all Tsubasa was notoriously stubborn and determined when it came to things he was interested in. Mikan smiled gently, happy that she would be able to spend a nice evening with her old friend.

"Mmm, I guess it'll work out better if I go with you then. But make sure you tell your cute little crush that I'm not your _date _date," she said, emphasizing the words crush and date. Tsubasa scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment before shooting her a smile.

"It's a deal," he announced, lifting his half-filled wine glass. She smiled coyly, lifting hers as well and they toasted. The gentle clink resonated and Mikan almost broke because it made her feel so hollow on the inside. Being with Tsubasa was nice and all, but she knew it wasn't _him._ And it wasn't as if she was using Tsubasa as a replacement- she just needed to be with someone, to not be alone. Because on the inside, Mikan was desperately afraid of being alone. Doubt grew in her mind when she was alone, and it caused her to doubt who she was. Being without _him _had thrown off her entire life balance. And Mikan hadn't anticipated this to make a back-up plan. So here she was, floundering through life and just trying to find something- anything –to hold onto.

She steeled her grip on the stem of the glass and pressed her lips against the cool surface. Something pricked the back of her eyes and she desperately blinked to hold the salty liquids back. Tsubasa was too engrossed in the menu, and for that she was grateful. Tilting her head back, she downed the wine. It burned her throat and left her feeling slightly cold. Or maybe that was the tears.


End file.
